According to www.cdc.gov, in 2013, a total of two hundred and seventy-three thousand, one hundred and five babies were born to women fifteen to nineteen years of age. Though this is low for the typical rate of teen- child births, the U.S. teen pregnancy rate is substantially higher than in other western industrialized nations. There are many stories of teen mothers who feel like they have their lives together, and consider their stories “success stories”. What most teens don’t understand, is the difficulties of being a mother, especially at such a young age. Teen pregnancy has more negative outcomes than positive outcomes, as shown by a girl named Haley in her teen pregnancy story. The best way to prevent teen pregnancy is through information
As everyone knows, teen pregnancy rate is increasing more and more each day and someone needs to do something to try and either stop it or decrease it dramatically. Teen pregnancy is causing dramatic population increase and that’s just common sense. Teens getting pregnant at such a young age is also causing poverty levels to go up more and more. Mississippi Spent over $100 million on teen pregnancy alone in the year 2010 (“Teen Pregnancy”). Just think of what it is now. More teens are dropping out of school and not finishing their education. According to the authors of this article, “approximately 30 percent of teen mothers have mothers who dropped out of high school, 40 percent have mothers who are mothers who dropped out of high school, 40 percent have mothers who are high school graduates, and 30 percent have mothers who attended college”(Kearny et al 143). Many people don’t realize that there are many effects of teen pregnancy including higher risk of birth defect, more likely to drop out, and also abortion rates increase.
For example, Collin Allen states, “Girls whose fathers left either before they were born or up to age 5 were seven to eight times more at risk of becoming pregnant as an adolescent than girls living with their fathers.” In other words, parents are supposed to be the teachers and the ones who protect the child. Therefore, if such presence is not there, the child will not have that person how tells her what to do or not, or what is correct or not increasing the probability of committing an erroneous action.
Americans take great pride in their leadership among nations. Such a distinction becomes embarrassing however when the title is claimed for the highest teenage pregnancy rate of any developed nation with nearly one million pregnancies each year. There has been extensive research on the phenomenon of teenage pregnancy which has yielded important information about pregnancy rates and risk factors. Researchers concur that pregnancy is a time of dramatic transition. A first time pregnancy propels the mother from the status of woman to mother. While these changes are noteworthy for the adult woman confronting pregnancy, their effect is frequently magnified when the expecting mother is an adolescent. Adolescent childbearing has become a prominent social issue because of the broad social and economic consequences (Harvy, 1995).
Although the rate of teenage pregnancy in the United States has been on an overall decline, it remains the highest in the entire world. Teenage pregnancy is obviously still a problem in today's American society with roughly 97 per 1000 women aged 15-19, which rounds up to be roughly one million teenagers, becoming pregnant each year. Interestingly enough, 78% of these pregnancies are unintended. The births of these children are not only a problem for the parents and the families of the babies, but it is a huge problem and burden upon American Taxpayers. Taxpayers pay roughly 16.5 billion dollars every year to welfare and Medicaid programs to aid these young parents who are almost always incapable of taking full financial responsibility for the child. In addition, because the average age of menarche has reached an all-time low of about 12-13 years of age, a larger percentage of teenage girls have a higher risk of getting pregnant more now than ever. The fact that four out of five teenagers are sexually active also contributes to the fact that teenage girls have a higher risk of getting pregnant. Teenage mothers are often living in single-mother houses, are minority, and are already considered poor. The consequences of teenage pregnancy can be costly and grave.
One of the United States’ current social problems and most discussed “hot topics” is adolescent pregnancy, otherwise known as teenage pregnancy. The majorities of teenage pregnancies are unplanned and lead to serious consequences for the parents and even possibly the child. It is important that today’s teens are well aware of the repercussions of teenage pregnancy because it is a very serious matter that can eventually lead to lifelong consequences. Even though teenage pregnancies have decreased in the past years, it is still a very prevalent issue in the United States and contributes to other current social problems such as poverty and poor education. The current cycle starts with teenage pregnancy and then leads to poor education, which leads to not many job opportunities, which leads to poverty, which can then lead to many other issues of the family like abuse and mental issues. Teenage pregnancy is so important that it is even considered one of the top six priorities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2012). Through the studies of risk factors and data regarding teenage pregnancy, trends arise that exemplify social issues and problems that can subsequently be dealt with by various methods presented by health professionals.
Teenage pregnancy develops physical anomalies, an abnormal social life for a teen, a decrease in education, and can cause an unstable life financially. Lack of parental care can cause physical problems for both the child and the mother. The mothers social life can also be affected by making them leave their friends behind as she cares for her newborn. Teen mothers are also more likely to drop out of high school due to complications in caring for their child. Stable jobs are typically harder to find with a lack of higher education and cause financial instability for the mother. From its peak in 1990, teen pregnancy rates have declined by 42% by 2008 (Healthyteennetwork.org) yet this is still higher than any first world country. Teen pregnancy is an ongoing battle and should be considered won when it is eradicated.
Even though the teen pregnancy and birth rates have dropped by one-third over the past decade, teen pregnancy in the United States is a growing problem. According to data by the National Center for Health Statistics and other official data, one in three girls still become pregnant by the age of twenty (Brown lines 1-3). In the United States one million adolescent girls become pregnant every year causing the U.S. to be the leader of the developed world in teen pregnancy. One in four of these teen girls will have a second baby within twenty four months and in 1997 a survey showed that only one in ten of these unwed mothers, ages fifteen to seventeen, received child support from the father (Sad but True lines 1-3). As citizens of the United States this is a time when we all need to pull together and help to change the future before it is too late. Many things can cause teen pregnancy but many things can prevent it or at least slow it down.
The birth rate among teens in the United States has declined 9% from 2009 to 2010, a historic low among all racial and ethnic groups, with the least being born in 2010; and in 2011 the number of babies born to adolescents aged 15-19 years of age was 329,797 (“Birth Rates for U.S.”, 2012). Although the decline in unwanted and unplanned teen births is on the rise the United States continues to be among the highest of industrialized countries facing this problem. This is a prevailing social concern because of the health risks to these young mothers as well as their babies. Teens at higher risk of becoming pregnant are raised at or below the poverty level by single parents; live in environments that cause high levels of stress (i.e., divorce, sexual psychological and physical abuse); are influenced by peers or family members that are sexually active; and lack parental guidance that would direct them to be responsible and self-controlled.
Nearly one million teenagers get pregnant and give birth every year in the United States. Many infants, who are born to teenage mothers, often suffer from low birth weight and other related health problems. Children of teen parents often receive inadequate care because teens are rarely able to provide the nurturing required by infants for normal development (“At Issue: Teenage Pregnancy”). Yet such problems can be avoided without having to provide contraceptives, such as birth control, in schools. Schools should not provide teenagers with access to contraceptives because schools should focus on abstinence education. Schools shouldn’t be responsible for teenagers’ actions, and contraceptives can be dangerous for girls still developing.